Heavy fighting erupted between pro and anti government forces in the vicinity of a UN compound in town of Malakal early Tuesday morning, Nesirky said. The combatants were apparently using "heavy machine guns and tanks" during the ongoing firefight.

The violence forced thousands of people to rush to Malakal UN base, where nearly 1,000 UN peacekeeping forces are currently protecting 20,000 civilians, he said. More than 65,000 civilians have taken refuge at UN bases across the country.